Poultrymad© Naked Neck

This breed is one of Nature's freaks. It is thought to originate from the area of Transylvania, Romania.

The main characteristic of this breed is that virtually all the neck and crop area is naked of feathering, just rich red coloured skin, giving the birds a revolting yet fascinating appearance.

When first introduced into this country around the 1920's, there was speculation that the birds were the result of crossing chickens and turkeys and for a period they assumed the name of Churkeys. This story was reported by the media at the time and the breed gained much publicity. After their original appeal as novelties faded the breed was left in the hands of just a few stalwarts.

In recent years the breed has once again gained publicity for its ability to withstand the extreme heat of Eastern countries and is consequently being used as part of the breeding programme for their commercial table poultry industry.

Naked Necks have existed in France for centuries as a free ranging meat bird, and they have a good reputation for their ability to forage freely, resulting in plentiful flesh meat.

The large varieties are classed as heavy breeds and when crossed with other breeds the bare neck factor is quite dominant.

The basic body shape of Naked Necks could be described as similar to the Sussex or Rock breeds, with wide shouldered well rounded fronts but not so long backed. The wings are carried fairly high. It has a single medium comb, rich red in colour, as are the face wattles and the front of the crop. The long neck is bare except for a cap of feathers on the back of the head.

The breed exists in a wide range of colours similar to traditional game and is available in miniature in all the colours and are more popular than the large birds in the UK.

Weights